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Background

Arisawa was mostly self-taught, having been interested in music from childhood. He started to learn piano when he was 20 years old, and entered Senzoku Gakuen College when he was 22, eventually graduating with degrees in Composing and Orchestral Music. He studied jazz and pop arrangement with arranger Norio Maeda.[1]

In 1980, Arisawa's song "Shinjuku Transfer" was recorded by the chorus group SOAP for Epic/Sony Records. He released a full album the following year, "Hamot Pier," and received the New Composer Incentive Award at the 1981 Tokyo Music Festival. The group broke up in 1982, but "Hamot Pier" was re-released in 1993.

As the Music Director for Sailor Moon, Arisawa's first award was the 1993 Golden Disk Grand Prize from Columbia Records. He continued to compose for the entire anime series, plus several video games and some of the stage musicals. In 1998, 2000, and 2001 he won the JASRAC International Award for most international royalties, owing largely to the popularity of Sailor Moon music in other nations.[2]

Arisawa expressed an admiration of Hollywood-style music, drawing his initial inspiration for the tone of the Sailor Moon soundtrack from the Charlie's Angels TV series. He frequently made use of symbolism when writing themes for specific characters or groups, borrowing thematic elements from diverse genres and from other countries. As the series progressed, his music gravitated from a pop feeling toward more classical arrangements to represent the protagonist having passed through painful experiences and grown as a person.[3]